Final Fantasy Type-0: Change the World -The Answer-
by birdbytheshore
Summary: A fan translation of the light novels that accompany the game. It tells the story of the cycle that occurs before the events of the game.
1. Chapter 0: Part 1

**Final Fantasy Type-0: Change the World -The Answer-**

Volume 1

by Tsukishima Souki

* * *

This is a fan translation project I am working on, of the two light novels that tell the story of the cycle directly before the events of the game. I translate from Japanese to English. Some of it still may read a bit awkwardly, so I might come back and edit it someday.

I also update on wordpress, at fftype0novel, and on my tumblr account, stiltedtranslations.

* * *

 **Chapter 0:** The Nameless Soldier's Poem

 _I decided my fate for myself. Without fear of death. Without knowing the fear of confronting death…_

[1]

The man ran between the burning buildings desperately.

Sparks rained down incessantly and smoke obstructed his path. He held his breath, running while hiding his face behind his arm. Sparks struck the back of his exposed hand. However, in this situation he couldn't afford to worry about such a thing.

A repetitive sound like drums playing could be heard in the distance. It was the sound of gunshots again. It came from far away, but there was a great many of them. One platoon - that was probably more than he could handle. If they were to accidentally meet, it probably wouldn't be just one group that gathered either.

Before they progressed any further, he had to reach that location. Just as he thought so, he could see the end of the alleyway. As he stood in the smoke, faces came out from the shadow of the buildings, lying in wait on the path.

At that moment, his pounding heart jumped.

Sweat ran down the hand grasping the sword. The sound of footsteps gradually drew closer. His heartbeat quickly grew in proportion to that sound. When he had reached his limit, the man jumped out from the alleyway.

"!?"

The enemies' bodies shook. Faster than they could turn their guns towards him, the man shortened the distance between them. And while rushing up vigorously, he thrust the longsword forward with all his strength.

 _Smack_ , a dull sound could be heard. The point of the sword pierced deeply into the enemy soldier's chest. Shouting, "An enemy attack!", the other soldier turned his gun in the man's direction.

The man promptly used the body of the enemy soldier he had pierced and killed as his shield. On the other side of that body, the gunshot of a rifle resounded. The shield quivered as if it had been struck by an electric shock.

"Ah!" He heard the enemy's voice of grief at the same time as the gunshots stopped. Did he regret having shot his own comrade? At any rate, it presented a good opportunity.

Withdrawing his sword from the chest of the enemy soldier, who he had made into a shield, the man broke into a run, aiming at the one remaining soldier. The enemy pulled the trigger of his rifle by reflex. The bullet gouged out the man's side, however, he closed the distance between them without stopping, swinging the longsword sideways. The tip of the sword cut through the enemy's throat and blood danced across the surrounding area.

The enemy, who had collapsed to the ground, looked upon him with contempt, and the man took a deep breath. The moment that the battle had finished, the wound in his side began to hurt.

When he touched the wound, his hand was dyed bright red. It seemed that it was a much more severe wound than he had thought. The man ground his teeth together and muttered to himself.

"Ace...where are you right now?"

Had he already arrived at the rendezvous point? At any rate, he had to hurry. The moment he thought that, a flash flickered in the background.

"!"

The brief explosion blew the man away. He tumbled across the ground and groaned in pain. When he stood again, stumbling, the alleyway that he had hidden in not so long ago had been transformed into a mountain of rubble.

It's a bombing, he thought as he raised his eyes up and saw an airship floating in the sky. He wondered if were they going to start indiscriminately bombing the soldiers' quarters here. Bombs would fall one by one and the ground would shake, transforming the surrounding landscape.

Because the army was here, the place he had always lived in would be mercilessly destroyed. The place of his memories would be destroyed. The man thought about such an extraordinary scene over and over again.

 _Aah, I'm in the middle of a war._

The continuous sounds of explosions, the gunfire heard in the distance, and the fear in his heart motivated him. However, an anger surpassing that fear surged in the man's chest.

 _I can never forgive them. For the crime of stepping foot into my country, I must teach them a lesson._ While thinking that, the man reached into the breast pocket of his military uniform. The item, which that woman from before had handed over to him, could not be broken in the middle of this battle. It was still there.

The COOM[1]. It could control the fate of this war, this small magic tool.

He had to give it to that person. If he did that, this hopeless progression of this battle might be overturned. _It might be impossible for me, but if it's that guy..._

"Wait for me, Ace...I'm coming to fulfill my promise right now!"

So the man shouted and, dragging his body full of wounds, he walked away.

That man's name was Izana Kunagiri. A young soldier from the Suzaku Army.

While walking amidst the rubble, he remembered. About the story of how he came to stand on this battlefield.

* * *

1 ) In Japanese, this acronym is accompanied by a subtitle that says "communications instrument".


	2. Chapter 0: Part 2

[2]

That was right, just one month ago Izana would never have thought that things would come to this. It was still a time of peace then. Seagull Calendar 842 [1], beginning of the century.

No, to say that there was peace wasn't accurate. There was never a period when this world was at peace. Since ancient times this world, called Orience, had repeatedly been at war. People revolved around the great power that originated from the objects called "Crystals" and humanity continued to come into conflict over them.

Four Crystals existed in this world, each with a different way of life.

One was the Byakko Crystal. It brought forth the energy to move machines.

One was the Soryu Crystal. It bestowed the power to control the monsters that ran rampant in the world.

One was the Genbu Crystal. It altered humans' bodies to be strong.

And the last one was the Suzaku Crystal. It bestowed upon humans the power to wield magic.

No one knew when Crystals came into existence. It was possible that they had been there since before humanity had been born. Be that as it may, the people gathered around these Crystals, the civilizations that had been given those blessings developed, and each amassed a nation.

The country to the west, in the territory of Byakko: The Militesi Empire.

The country to the east, in the territory of Soryu: The Kingdom of Concordia.

The country to the north, in the territory of Genbu: The Lorica Alliance.

And the country to the south where Izana and the others lived, in the territory of Suzaku, was Rubrum.

The world was divided into these four countries. Each of these major powers complied with their Crystals and maintained armed forces that differed completely from each other.

The main strength of Byakko's army was to manufacture and operate mechanical weapons using the Crystal's power.

Souryu's armed forces were made up of a mix of humans and beasts, as a great number of monsters obeyed the will of their people.

Genbu's Crystal strengthened the bodies of its soldiers, so its army was a chivalric order of mighty warriors.

And lastly, the Suzaku Army cultivated a great number of mages to form its army.

The Crystals' properties were certainly different, though they did not vary in power, so the balance between the nations' military forces was equal. However, each nation was unsatisfied and so the disputes and skirmishes continued.

"Just a single Crystal brings about such a great blessing. If we could come to possess several of them, our country would be able to conquer the world." For the sake of such an ambition, the kings from ancient times did nothing but wage war.

That balance lasted for 1000 years without interruption.

However, just ten years ago, that state of affairs suddenly changed.

A single dictator had appeared in Byakko.

Because of that dictator, Byakko's already radical military affairs became even more radical. Their international border disputes intensified with Suzaku above all of the other countries and before long, full-scale armed conflicts broke out.

It was the sort of era in which the echoing sound of combat boots was imminent. Although Izana bore feelings of unease, he continued to perform his daily missions.

* * *

A large beast ran towards him through the dense forest. While nearly trembling in fear, Izana watched it carefully.

The beast had a body like a giant cat and possessed the ferocious appearance characteristic of carnivorous animals. It was a wild coeurl. The length of its body was approximately two meters long. From what he observed up until now, the size of its eyes was quite large. The speed of the coeurl's charge quickened, rapidly shortening the distance between it and Izana by 100 meters, 90 meters, 80 meters...

 _Don't be scared._ While telling himself such, he began to chant a spell. He gathered up the Suzaku Crystal's magic, charging it in the palm of his hand. Then, his palm began to shine. At the same time, a single thought solidified in his head: the image of a flame burning brightly. That strong feeling appeared in reality as Izana projected it from his hand, shouting:

"Fire Magic![2]"

At that moment, a large fireball appeared and rushed out from the palm of Izana's hand. The coeurl stopped in its tracks out of surprise, but it was too slow. The fireball devoured the coeurl and seared its body.

An indescribable cry reverberated throughout the quiet forest. Izana looked at the coeurl, which had fallen to the ground with a thud, and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Phew...I managed to do it, somehow…" he muttered to himself, hearing the sound of footsteps in the background. He turned his head reflexively and saw a man standing there.

The man, who was in his early teens, wore the same bird-like helmet and reddish brown military uniform as Izana. It was his coworker, Karan. He had come to look for Izana.

"Izana, how's it going over there?"

"No problems. I just finished exterminating five of those beasts."

"Good! I also killed five over here. And with that, it seems we've reached our quota."

That day,Izana had gone with Karan to exterminate the coeurls since they had been appearing frequently in the forest near the town. It was a troublesome mission that wouldn't grant him honor of any sort, but as no more than a civilian employed by the military, he had no right to be particular about his job. Karan seemed to be well aware of this, saying in a carefree voice:

"Well then, let's return to Akademeia. I'm starving!"

"Ahaha." Izana laughed and subsequently whistled.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of footsteps could be heard from outside the forest. Two large birds, each about the size of a horse, were running towards them. They were military chocobos. The chocobos made a sudden stop before Izana and Karan.

Izana straddled his beloved bird and called its name.

"Well then, shall we return home, Chichiri?"

The chocobo called Chichiri made a 'keeh' sound and broke into a run.

Emerging from the gloomy forest, beautiful grasslands extended before them. The early afternoon sunlight shone on the green earth. Before long, Karan's chocobo caught up with them and they galloped across the field.

"But, Izana...In these times, is it really okay to be doing carefree tasks like these?" Karan addressed him while riding his chocobo. "Even though the skirmishes at the border with Byakko are continuing, all we're doing is exterminating dangerous creatures."

"Don't say such a thing, Karan. No matter who the enemy is, isn't it the military personnel's job to protect the safety of the people? If you think about it like that, wasn't it worth it to come out here to exterminate the coeurls?"

"Yeah, when you say it like that." Karan shrugged his shoulders and continued from there. "Well, I guess it's a good thing that this mission is much safer than doing border patrol. And it's not like Byakko would be able to attack us here."

"That's right. If the enemy were ever able to attack us all the way here, at that time our country would surely perish," Izana said with his eyes facing forward. At that exact moment, Izana and Karan could see their destination. The ocean was just beyond the grasslands, where a long bridge spanned the beach. A giant, white-walled castle had been erected at the end of it.

Akademeia - the center of Suzaku's territory. It was a fortress city constructed to protect the Suzaku Crystal.

The government, military affairs, magic technology development, and so forth - every organization's divisions and their personnel were assembled here.

Izana and the military personnel were members of the military command department, Central Command, where they were headed. Izana and Karan crossed the bridge and entered Akademeia.

They passed through the large doors to the front garden that was bustling with people.

Military personnel, civil officials, and a great number of young men and women went back and forth over the paths covered by white flagstones.

At the center of the front garden was a water fountain modeled after Suzaku, overlooking everybody. On the opposite side of that water fountain was Akademeia's building.

As Izana dismounted from Chichiri, he spoke to Karan.

"Karan, could you return the chocobos to the stables for me? I'll go to Central Command to give our report."

"Alright, sorry for troubling you. Please give the platoon leader my regards."

Izana nodded, bid farewell to Karan, and passed through the entrance to Akademeia.

Akademeia's entrance hall was magnificently structured to look like a holy temple. Stained glass admitted sunlight into the hall, forming a beautiful pattern on the floor.

However, this place wasn't a religious institution. It was the center of the military. The proof of that was the Suzaku war flag that decorated the doors over the interior of the entrance hall. Central Command's control room was located there.

Izana's superior officer should have been in the control room as he usually was at this time. As Izana thought that, he opened the doors to the room.

However, right after he entered, Izana frowned.

The state of the control room was different from the usual. There were many people here. His platoon leader was there of course, but that man's senior officers and even the army's top military commander were also gathered here. And they were discussing some matter with grim faces.

 _Did something happen?_ As he thought so, standing stock still, the unshaven face of his platoon leader stepped up to meet Izana after he noticed him.

"What is it, Izana Kunagiri? Do you need something from me?"

Izana was surprised at the platoon leader's words. Even though he was the one who gave Izana the mission to exterminate the coeurls, it seemed that he had completely forgotten about it. Izana pointed that out to him and as usual he gathered his heels together, and reported to him.

"As you commanded, we finished our mission to exterminate the harmful beasts. No one was injured."

"Ah...I did tell you to do that, huh," the platoon leader said as if just remembering. "Good job. You can relax."

The manner in which he said that was strange. Even though that man was always carefree, Izana clearly saw that he was tense. Izana could not suppress his doubts, so he asked him a question.

"Commander, permission to ask a question."

"What?"

"Did something happen at the border with Byakko?"

At that vague inquiry, the platoon leader's facial expression stiffened. After a short moment of silence, he answered in a low voice.

"...No matter what we do to try and hide it, this will probably become common knowledge soon, so I'll tell you, just between the two of us. There has been unrest in the Byakko Army's movements."

"What, did you say?"

"According to the information that the intelligence department acquired, they say that since the spring of last year, Byakko suddenly augmented its armaments. It seems to be on an unprecedented scale. I want to believe that it was in order to cause those border disputes."

"If it's not for the sake of border disputes...it can't be, it's for all-out war with us?" Izana inquired. The platoon leader bowed his head solemnly.

"That possibility is not impossible. For your sanity, don't think-"

The platoon leader's words were interrupted by a voice from afar.

"You have a loose tongue."

Becoming aware of the voice, they looked in its direction, where a well-built middle aged man was standing near them. He had a bald head and a sharp glint in his eyes. It was the Commandant, the leader of the army. He spoke to the platoon leader while staring at him.

"You aren't at a level to still be talking to common soldiers. Don't give your company useless disturbances. Am I wrong?"

"Yes, I, I'm very sorry!" the platoon leader apologized in a wavering voice.

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped that you spoke about it. As you said, it's something that will become known sooner or later," the Commandant smiled wryly.

No one knew exactly the great number of military exploits the Commandant achieved on the battlefield in his youth, in the end ascending to the military's executive staff. His position was high, but his personal history did not make him put on any airs.

Even in regards to Izana, who was no more than a common soldier, he spoke naturally.

"You, it's as you heard. Our strained relationship with Byakko has strengthened even further. We must not let our guard down."

"Yes, but-" Although Izana was grateful, he asked the commander a question. "If Byakko were to invade, in the instance of all-out war, wouldn't we be at an advantage?"

That was what Izana thought, but it was not based on optimism. It was common sense, so to speak.

Among the Suzaku citizens who received the Suzaku Crystal's blessing, there was a countless number of mages. And the armed forces were organized from 236,000 magic users. The hands of those from the Suzaku Army released flames, manipulated cold air at will, and drove enemies off with lightning - they were an army of inhuman soldiers.

Of course, an individual's magic was not infinite. If one was to keep on using it, that person would quickly exhaust their magic. However, due to the development of magic technology, various other ways to replenish that depleted magic were created. The magic restoration medicine, the 'Ether', was implemented and magic supply squares were constructed. Because of that, their interior defenses already reached the level of absolute nonaggression.

They wouldn't go as far as to go on the offense, but they demonstrated unmatched strength in defense. The other three countries could say that they shared similar defenses, but Suzaku in particular was extremely strong.

Even though the border disputes had intensified, it was unlikely that the other countries would wage a thing like an all-out war. Any country that tried to invade Suzaku's territory would definitely receive a harsh counterattack and be forced back. It was a matter that had been repeated countless times in this thousand-year period of history.

Though Izana knew this, he repeated his question to the commander.

"To begin an all-out war, that's a little rash. Isn't there another motive?"

"Of course, you can think of the possibilities as much as you want. However, no matter what the enemy's intentions are it does not hurt to be overly cautious," the commander said as he placed his hands on Izana's and the platoon leader's shoulders. "From here on out, you two might become much more busy. Keeping that in mind, fulfill your daily duties."

"Yes sir!" Izana and the platoon leader answered at the same time. A little of the unease and tension left their chests.

-Afterwards, Izana saluted the platoon leader and Commandant, and left the control room.

He passed through the doors and a typical, peaceful scene stretched out before him. The majority of the people going back and forth through the entrance, wearing Akademeia's uniform, were young teenagers. They were called "Agito Cadets", and were this country's elites.

Agito - in the legends, it was an existence spoken of as a messiah. When the world would eventually come to an end, Agito was the hope that would save the people. In other words, the Agito Cadets were nominated as people who aimed to become that messiah. And Akademeia, the center of the government and military affairs, was also an educational institute that trained excellent mages. Those who undertook that special education in Suzaku were called Agito Cadets.

Although, one wouldn't think that those who could become saviors studied magic and military affairs in depth. To demand that was a kind of religious propaganda. In reality, it wasn't important whether or not someone became Agito. Aiming for an existence written down in legend, the days were repeatedly spent raising talented people.

The reality was that a great number of Agito Cadets, once they graduated from Akademeia, assumed important offices in the military, government, teaching, and the like.

Of course, to become an Agito Cadet one needed to be of high character. To become an Agito Cadet, it was expected that one had excellent magic abilities.

The faces of the young people who passed through the entrance were not colored with unease towards the future. He wondered if everyone embraced that these young people were the hope of the country. Looking at those figures, he remembered sharply.

"How cute…even though the adults are frowning on the other side of this door," Izana said to himself as he smiled bitterly.

He also once wished to become an Agito Cadet. However, the test was extremely difficult, and because he could not reach the passing line in magic aptitude he couldn't make his wish come true.

However, it wasn't for nothing. Izana was twenty-one. He had already thrown away the dream that he could no longer reach due to his body's condition and he was of the age to do what a proper adult should. And an adult's duty was to do anything to not allow children feel ill at ease. It was to remove the worries and observe their hopes for the future.

"...That's right, it's alright if it's just us who are the ones frowning..." Izana muttered as he walked again.

Coming out from the entrance, he left to go to the outside. The sky was clear and a pleasant wind blew past him.

Since he had no plans in particular following the end of his mission, he thought that he should return to his lodgings at once to take a shower but, _I've finally come to Akademeia so I should take a look at the chocobo stables,_ he thought.

On the outskirts of Akademeia were the stables for breeding and raising chocobos for military use. Izana's beloved bird Chichiri was born there.

Chichiri's siblings also might have been born there. _In that case I should give them names as well,_ Izana thought as he walked in the direction of the chocobo stables.

* * *

By way of the magic transfer squares, he arrived at the chocobo stables. Shortly afterwards, Izana found a young boy he wasn't familiar with in front of the stalls.

The young boy wore the uniform of the Agito Cadets. He was gently stroking the neck of the chocobo inside the stall. The chocobo also seemed to like the sensation and passively let him continue stroking it. It looked like he was fairly skilled at handling the birds.

"You, do you like chocobos?" Izana inadvertently asked. The young boy turned around.

Izana swallowed his breath at seeing that face. He had silky blond hair and handsome features that could be mistaken for a young girl's. The smell from the beasts in the chocobo stables didn't really suit the beautiful boy.

However, those eyes were oddly sharp. His facial expression stiffened and was appeared cold-hearted. The young boy cautiously spoke to Izana with a stern voice.

"Is that weird?"

"No way. It's just that cadets who visit the chocobo stables are rare. Not many are curious."

"Is that so."

"Yeah. Quite a lot of people think of chocobos as expendable goods for the military's use. They use chocobos as a means of transportation without reserve, not as pets that you shower with affection. That's why those who come to the chocobo stables specifically to touch the chocobos are a minority," Izana said. The boy's sharp eyes grew even more severe.

"Do you think that, too? That chocobos are only for transportation."

"Nope. That's why I said a 'minority'," he said. As he smiled, he saw the boy's expression soften just a little.

"...I'm relieved. It's the first time I've met someone of the same opinion as myself."

"Hm? All of the people around you don't think chocobos are cute?"

"Yeah, I'm the exception. I'm often told 'It's unreasonable to shower the army's equipment with affection'," the young boy muttered in annoyance.

It was likely that his classmates had told him that.

The cadets were divided into various classes according to their aptitude and abilities. And all of those classes were directly connected to various military authorities and government agencies. Consequently, because they were cadets, the military authorities commanded them and the cadets performed various missions for the authorities. Just as their training was linked to a greater plan, so were their futures upon graduation.

In other words, the cadets were not ordinary students, but existed alongside the military personnel and civil officials. The classes were one organization that always mobilized together, so the relationships between comrades in the classes were extremely close. If he denied those classmates' opinions, then his standing among them would also decline.

"I see...Then that makes you and I both oddballs, huh," said Izana, who clapped the young boy on his shoulder. The boy roughly snorted.

"Even though we've just met, to call us friends is rather relaxed isn't it."

"Oh, how harsh. I thought that we would get along since we both like chocobos. 'There are no bad guys who like chocobos' as the saying goes."

"What's that? That's the first time I'm hearing it."

Talking like that, a small smile finally dawned on the young boy's face. _Well look at that, it looks like he isn't a bad guy after all,_ Izana thought while he asked:

"Come to think of it, I never got to hear it. What's your name?"

The young boy answered his question, giving him a name that lacked a surname.

"Ace."

"Ace, huh? I'm Izana Kunagiri, nice to meet 'cha," Izana said while holding out his hand. After a moment of hesitation, the young boy called Ace grasped his hand. That was Izana and Ace's first meeting.

Afterwards, Izana realized that their meeting would serve as a sudden upheaval to his fate. Up until the very end, he did not know whether that was a lucky or an unlucky thing.

* * *

[1] Seagull Calendar: This is a direct translation, the original being 鴎暦. If anyone has any idea what this means, please tell me.

[2] In the original text, the words for the in-game spell "Fire" appear in parentheses immediately after the words for fire magic.

Speech Pattern Note, for those interested: Most of the characters speak in casual Japanese. Izana addresses his superiors using polite Japanese. In turn, his superior (unnamed platoon leader) addresses the Commandant with polite Japanese. The Commandant's speech pattern is that of a stereotypical old guy/samurai.

By the way, I only own the Japanese PSP version of the game so I've tried my best to match names with their localized counterparts (such as Commandant, or Central Command), but I probably missed a few things. If anyone wants to correct me on that, feel free.


	3. Chapter 0: Part 3

[3]

For a short while afterwards, Izana and Ace sat near the stables and spoke to each other.

"Huh? Then Ace, ten years have already passed since you became a cadet?"

Ace nodded in response to Izana's question.

"That might not be the most accurate way to put it. But at very least, since the time I was six years old it has been my duty to become a cadet."

"Although I've been coming to Akademeia for several years now, this is the first time I've seen your face around."

"That's true. Because this is the first time I've visited Akademeia." Ace had said a somewhat puzzling thing. Even though it had already been ten years since he decided to become a cadet, it was strange that this was the first time he was visiting Akademia.

"Then where've you been up until now?"

"The magic department's external bureau."

"Huh!?"

That answer had surprised Izana.

The external bureau was on the outskirts of the Suzaku region; it was a magic research facility. It seemed to be a research facility for developing new magic technology, but in actuality outsiders knew practically nothing about it. Since there was an excessive amount of mysteries surrounding it, people doubted whether or not it really existed.

But Ace had said that he came from there. Furthermore, Izana gathered from his speech and conduct that he had already been there for ten years.

 _So there was something like that…?_ Izana thought as he remembered a rumor that he had heard. "The external bureau modifies human beings and conducts research to alter those bodies to make excellent mages," was the rumor.

He had thought that it was a worthless urban myth. But if it really was the truth, it would be consistent with what Ace had said.

"Ace, it can't be...are you a genetically modified human?" Izana asked timidly. Ace was puzzled for a moment and looked like he was about to laugh.

"A modified human? What are you talking about?"

"A-am I wrong?"

"Yeah, we're not anything like that. The only thing we've done is receive education and training to become cadets since we were young."

"'Receive education,' you said...So the external bureau does things like that?"

"Yeah. It's been a secret up until now, but soon it'll be time to reveal it so it's probably fine to tell you."

Izana was relieved by those words. But just a moment later, another emotion emerged.

For those who entered Akademeia to undergo training as cadets, the earliest one could do so was at about fifteen years of age. Since the training was exceedingly harsh, any younger and they would not be able to endure the pain. The age limit prevented them from being rendered useless . Even so, Ace said that he had received such severe training since he was six years old.

"...Wasn't that ever tiring?"

"Well, it was for Suzaku's sake. Even though the days were filled with nothing but training, I never thought of it as difficult," Ace laughed without gloom in his voice. But Izana understood the reason for the intensity he saw in Ace's eyes when he was talking to him earlier.

It wasn't that his experience was not difficult. Since the time he was old enough to understand what was going on around him, he spent his days doing nothing but training. Even though normally one should hang out with friends and spend the days without worries.

He didn't know what sort of circumstances Ace had. Since he said that it wasn't difficult, it would be impolite to pity him. But Izana couldn't leave him alone after all.

Because he knew there was more to it than that. Since his childhood his fate had been derailed and he was someone who had devoted his own self to walk down a harsh path.

Izana unintentionally said to Ace, "Ace...you resemble my younger brother a bit."

"Your younger brother?"

"Yeah. But it's not that your faces resemble each other. How should I put it...the atmosphere about you two is a little similar."

With an uncomprehending expression, Ace asked, "What kind of guy is he? Your younger brother."

"He's a cadet like you. Unlike me, he's a capable guy. He's a member of Class Second and his grades are at the top of his class."

The classes that the cadets belonged to were from Class First to Class Twelfth. The aptitude of the cadets corresponded to those classes, which also had various characteristics of their own. And Class Second was, out of all the other classes, the one closest to the military's specialists.

It was filled with cadets who excelled at magic and the art of battle, a class meant to develop military officers. The training they performed while enrolled were rigorous activities such as military exercises and practice in sabotage. The students then graduated after reaching the right age and skill level, going on to become young soldiers.

If this was a peaceful world, it would be unthinkable for an educational institution to have the students do such things. But for the past thousand years, this world had been at war. In that bloodstained history, that educational institution had changed to its current state little by little.

But Izana thought that such a thing was abnormal. Education as part of a larger plan was an excuse and the folklore of the messiah "Agito"[1] was used as propaganda to train children to become murderers. Izana did not want to acknowledge this as this country's - no, this world's - abnormality.

For this reason, Izana entered the army without becoming a cadet. In order to protect a world where his younger brother could live in peace. However, in order to pursue his own goals, his younger brother entered the military and the classes that hardly ever changed.

"...But I don't want to allow my younger brother to go to war. He's nice guy, that's why."

"Nice? Even though he's a cadet from Class Second?"

"Yeah, he probably tries too hard. It would be better to leave the war to us adults."

"It can't be helped, right? 'Because in this country, children are stronger than the average adult'."

"Well, that's certainly true but…" Izana laughed in self-deprecation at Ace's words.

Those extremely strong people who received the Suzaku Crystal's blessing were fifteen to twenty year old kids. When one was past the age of twenty, their magic power began to decline, and before long they would become unable to use any of their magic.

Therefore, among the citizens of Suzaku, the ones who had the strongest magic were those in their late teens. Those children engaged in military training and were quickly sent to the battlefield - that was the origin of this country's warped system.

"...I'm pitiful, aren't I? Even though my brother is a cadet, I'm a common soldier, the military's underling. Because my magic isn't up to par anymore, I can't play an active role on the front lines," Izana said, his expression probably extremely vexed. Ace's indifferent expression relaxed and he asked in concern:

"What are you going to do then? Take the cadet exam one more time?"

"At my age it's already impossible."

"But it doesn't look like you agree," he said, which made Izana think a little and laugh.

"...It's not really like I want to become a cadet at this point. I don't mean to reject my little brother's decision to become a cadet either. I just want to tell my little brother that I've become a more reliable soldier. 'I am proud of you, but your older brother is also someone you can be proud of,' that sort of thing."

If he were able to say that, his younger brother might not have purposefully chosen to go down a dangerous path. "If my older brother is protecting this country, it's alright to not participant in such a cruel war." He had wanted to let his brother think this.

Listening to those words, Ace sank into silence as if he was pondering something. Izana didn't know what that expression was hiding.

That was all that was said that day. Ace shook Izana's hand and left the chocobo stables.

But that day was a turning point, after which Ace sometimes could be seen at the chocobo stables. It seemed that from then on he was going to officially live his life as cadet at the institution. He visited Akademia in order to continue with those preparations.

Every time Ace and Izana met, they had various conversations. He bragged and made idle complaints about his brother. And after that, they had conversations about the missions Izana had completed in the past or they simply chatted.

Ace had extensive knowledge relating to military affairs, combat, and magic. On the other hand, except for those things, his ignorance of the ways of the world was astonishing. It seemed like it was the truth that he was raised in the external bureau. No matter how many things they talked about, he listened with great interest.

If asked about it, it seemed that Ace also had people who could be called siblings in his life. Just like him, his comrades were also raised from their childhood in the external bureau. Although Ace himself said in a blunt, cold manner, "I've never thought of those guys as siblings." But beneath those words he could perceive a deep sense of trust.

What went on between Izana and Ace probably could not be called a social exchange. But Izana liked him and it seemed that he also didn't behave as if he particularly hated it.

No, Ace might have also liked Izana more than he thought. However many times they ended up meeting with each other at the chocobo stables, he spoke to Izana.

"It's been decided officially to let us enroll as cadets."

"Huh...so...congratulations?" Izana said with mixed feelings. He couldn't honestly be overjoyed. That was one more person, a child, who they would probably send to the battlefield.

"So, which class will you join? Don't tell me it's Class Second."

"That's…" After hesitating a little, Ace spoke as if he had just decided on what to say. "It's...Class Zero."

"Class Zero!?" Izana laughed in shock. Ace's statements often astonished him, but this was the most shocking thing yet.

Class Zero was a special class filled with geniuses collected together who possessed superhuman magic strength. As not only cadets but as the Suzaku Army's strongest magic soldiers, they were thrown into the frontlines in the case of emergencies. They rode to the battlefield clad in vermillion mantles and demolished the enemies who they released their strength upon. They were a group of demonic beings.

Though Izana didn't know that they were only rumors. Class Zero existed since they were created in Akademeia five hundred years ago, but for it to be filled with cadets possessing such power was not common, and a class with such members had not been around for a hundred years. Ace had said he was going to join that group.

But taking that into consideration, he understood why he had had so many doubts up until now. The reason Ace spent his days doing nothing but training since his childhood. In addition to Ace, he had said that there were many other children who grew up in the same circumstances as him.

It was probably all in order to do that. In order to revive the Class Zero that had not been organized for a hundred years, it had taken the external bureau ten years to conduct this military plan.

To the Izana, who had lost his words, Ace continued.

"...Izana you also heard that the military tension between Suzaku and Byakko is high, right? There is a good possibility that in the case of an emergency we will, as Suzaku's vanguard, be deployed on the battlefield."

"Y-yeah...but what will you do about letting me hear that? I mean, isn't this highly classified information?"

"Of course it's highly classified. Based on that, I have a favor I want to ask of you," Ace said and stared straight at Izana. "Right now, we as Class Zero have been managed under the external bureau. Until the case of an emergency, that existence has been hidden from the military staff. However, if we don't have support personnel who will allow us to coordinate with the army, it's hard to respond in unexpected situations."

"..."

"So...if I ask, will you become one of those support personnel for me?"

Izana wavered at those words.

"That's absurd. If you're talking about support from those who were originally cadets, even from the army, those guys are top-class. Such a conversation would never revolve around a common soldier like myself."

"And if it did? It might be a chance to perform military exploits."

Izana's face twitched at the words. He said as he stared straight at Ace's eyes:

"...You mean, you're giving me a chance?"

"It's not like that's particularly my intention. I just want to join up with a guy who I know for my first sortie."

Those few conclusive words changed Izana's destiny.

Even Ace, who had continued to train himself until this day, was probably afraid. _To avoid having them experience even a little of that fear is an adult's duty to do_ , Izana thought while smiling bitterly.

"...Even if this chance hadn't been given to me, I only fight for both Suzaku's and my younger brother's future."

 **Suzaku** \- Izana wondered if Ace realized that he himself was included in this word. Either way, Ace showed him a relieved smile.

"That's enough for me. Thank you Izana."

Izana lightly clapped Ace on the shoulder.

From then on, those two people were not mere acquaintances. They had become brothers-in-arms.

* * *

[1] In the original text, the word for messiah was the one written out. The pronunciation for "Agito" was written as the furigana.

The next section (4) is sort of long, so it might take a while to get out.


	4. Chapter 0: Part 4

Edit (12/19/15): Fixed a line about halfway through. I forgot to finish translating it.

* * *

[4]

And so, through Ace's referral, Izana became the liaison responsible for Class Zero.

He was introduced to the external bureau's executive staff and was immediately assigned a mission. The top secret mission was, in the case of an emergency, to keep in contact with Class Zero and send them any information and goods they required. Since he had accepted Central Command's mission, they also considered whether or not he would breach the army's trust, but Izana kept his mouth shut about confidential matters[1].

In any case, from then on Izana's everyday life changed. In order to meet the heavy responsibilities given to him, he would have to get himself into shape as a soldier of the army.

Some nights, he used the training center, the Arena that was located deep within Akademeia. There, Izana and Ace conducted a crash course in training late at night.

"...To be honest, I'm worried about whether or not I'm fit to be Class Zero's liaison," Izana told Ace. "I'm already twenty-one. Within the last year my magic strength has weakened rapidly and now I'm only able to use Fire and Cure[2] spells."

"So then we should train in hand-to-hand combat?"

"That's what I think. I wanted you to help me with this intensive training. Although it might not be the most suitable thing to practice hand-to-hand techniques..."

In contrast to Suzaku, whose main strength was its magic attacks, Byakko's was its firearms, the land armored Magitek Armor piloted by people, and its airships. Superficial hand-to-hand combat techniques were probably not particularly useful on the battlefield.

However, Ace grasped the back of his neck and said, "No matter the skill, it won't be useless." Pointing at the longsword at Izana's waist, he continued. "Then shall we start, Izana? Use that sword to try hitting me wherever you can."

"Is that okay? Even though it's a real sword?"

"It's fine; I'm used to it."

Ace's calm expression was rather threatening. Izana swallowed and drew his sword, but then he noticed that Ace did not have a sword at his side.

"Ace, what about your weapon? Don't you need a sword for intensive training?"

"Ah, my weapon isn't a sword. It's this," Ace said, drawing something from his bag.

They were cards. Large playing cards, fifty of them stacked on top of each other. The strange thing was that they were also shining bluish-white.

"Cards…? Are you saying that's your weapon?"

"It isn't just a card. It's specially made with my magic charged in it," Ace said, drawing a single card and throwing it with a snap of his wrist.

In an instant, there was the sound of it cutting the wind.

The card flew with a fierce speed and pierced the wall of the arena.

"Wha…!" Izana was speechless as he stared fixedly at the wall that the card had pierced. "...I see, that is certainly a weapon."

"Yeah, with this you can train and pretend that it's the Byakko Army's guns."

"I could, but if something like that gets stuck in me, I'll die, you know. I sincerely apologize if I die in the line of duty while I'm training."

"It's fine, I'll go easy on you," Ace smiled. "Anyway, Izana. To get around the cards I throw, keep your sword at a distance."

"Ah...Yes!" Izana said in reply, and Ace nodded and put some distance between them. From about fifteen meters away, he prepared his cards. Izana also grasped his sword and focused on Ace.

"Here I go, Ace!"

"Come!"

That voice was the signal to start. Izana took the sword into his hand broke into a run, aiming at Ace.

* * *

The intensive training continued for about two hours. During that time, Izana attacked Ace's cards countless times. He had accumulated fresh wounds everywhere and blood ran from them. But while Izana cured his own wounds with magic, he still continued to fight.

Ace's cards were both accurate in their aim and rapid-fire. The longsword slipped between all of them, and they seemed impossible to hit. But Ace seemed to be quite aware of this. This wasn't evasion training. It was a training him to overcome pain and fear in order to contend with their enemy, who possessed excellent armaments.

"It might be old-fashioned idealism, but the most useful thing on the battlefield is, in truth, this technique," Ace said to Izana while letting his cards flutter. "In other words, 'a technique to overcome fear'. Whether or not you can do this means the difference between life and death on the battlefield."

"I see now...but, even though you have a face that looks like a girl's, you're unexpectedly manly."

"Well then again, I've never stood on the battlefield. What I learned in the external bureau was no more than academic theory." But Ace was not just staying that he knew of it, as he seemed to have actually learned that technique himself. Of course, Izana also understood the importance of the technique.

"I understand, Ace, so let's go one more time."

"Yeah, come!"

Hearing that voice, Izana prepared his sword and broke into a run.

At the same time, the cards flew at Izana's chest. While running, Izana twisted his body and avoided them. Ace fired another at Izana. This time he aimed at his stomach. Izana knocked it away with the hilt of his sword.

In the very dim light, he saw Ace's surprised face. He was about five meters away. In three steps he entered within the sword's reach.

 _Go!_ The moment he thought that, Ace drew five cards and threw them all at once.

The five cards drew an arc in the air, rushing towards Izana. It was impossible to repel or dodge them. They struck his entire body and Izana collapsed on the spot.

"Urg…!"

"Ah...s-sorry, Izana! Are you okay!?" Ace said as he rushed over and lifted Izana's upper body.

"How mean, Ace, to think you could do such a thing...or should I put it this way, I can't help but think of it as training with a gun."

"No, just now, I reacted to your vigor[3]…" Ace said while looking apologetic. Izana smiled wryly. His expression was always composed, so this was the first time Izana was seeing an expression that suited his age.

"Well don't worry about it. More importantly, I'm reaching my limit. Let's end the intensive training here," Izana said as he stood up. Ace answered while stifling a yawn:

"You're right, I'm getting sleepy…"

"Thanks for staying so late. This was a good training session."

"Did you gain self-confidence in being our liaison?"

Izana suddenly thought that if a war with Byakko started, he and Ace would then become comrades-in-arms. Although he had the resolve to fight, heading to the battlefield with this young boy, somehow his real feelings emerged. Izana wanted to know Ace's motives for fighting.

"...Hey, Ace. Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"If war breaks out, you'll go to the battlefield. But why do you fight?"

Ace's eyes widened at that question.

"...I've never thought about it. That I do it is natural, because that's how Mother decided to raise me."

"Mother?"

"The Magic Department's director, Arecia al-Rashia."

Those words offered little explanation, but Izana understood the gist of it.

Arecia al-Rashia was the head of Suzaku's most important institution, the Magic Department. As the leader in the development and research of magic technology, she was an exceedingly excellent researcher.

Age, unknown; personal history, unknown. She appeared young, but that might have been due to some form of magic. At any rate, she was the oldest member of the magic executive staff, but no one knew exactly when she had become the director of the Magic Department.

To call Arecia al-Rashia "Mother" - she must have raised them in place of a real mother. But even so, it felt unjust.

"Director Arecia decided it...so your mother would send her son to the battlefield?"

"If that is what she wishes. But up until today, it's also been my wish. We've trained ourselves until this day for that reason." There was no hesitation in Ace's expression. It seemed that this boy, who had an innocent face, truly wished to go to the battlefield from the bottom of his heart.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"In regards to that, I've never considered it."

"What about your comrades dying? What if I died?"

"I'd forget, right. _Because that is this world's rule,_ " Ace said without any sentimentality in his expression.

It was just as he said. Everyone who lived in this world would lose their memories of the people they knew who had died.

This phenomenon was called 'Death Memory Lapse' and it was brought about by the Crystals. There were various theories, but no answers, as to why this phenomenon occurred and for what reason it occurred. But whether or not they had an answer, the truth was that people forgot their memories of the dead. That was the solemn rule of this world.

Therefore, in regards to the deaths of their acquaintances, there weren't many people who gave such a dry response like Ace.

Therefore, in regards to the deaths of their acquaintances, there weren't many people who had a dry response like Ace. Izana was bothered by it a little, but since they were going to be fighting together from here on out, he had hoped they would get along[4].

"...If that is so, Ace, if I die on the battlefield please don't care for me at my death."

"Why?"

"If I die, at that moment the memories of myself will disappear from within your head. What would you do then? Not knowing the guy who has died in front of your eyes, you will probably be confused."

"Well, that's certainly possible."

"That confusion on the battlefield is deadly. You don't have time to look over your shoulder at that guy who died. Isn't that right, Ace?" Izana said to Ace with a smile. At seeing how happy he looked, he returned the smile.

Talking to this boy five years younger than himself, Izana's interest in him deepened. His interest in Ace's special upbringing, his overwhelming strength, and also that professional air about him that did not suit his age.

However, from that point on, these two people were not able to deepen their friendship any further.

That night became the last time. The last night Izana and Ace spent together.

* * *

[1] This is a long, complicated sentence that was hard to translate, so it might not be 100% correct.

[2] The subtitles were Fire Magic and Healing Magic, respectively.

[3] Ace was taken by surprised when Izana came running at him with so much "spirit" or "vigor" that he reacted as if he was a real enemy, is what this sentence means.

[4] The word 合わせる has a few different meanings, but I think Izana was hoping that they would not only fight together, but form some sort of comradeship or 'connecting' with one another through similarities in their thought processes. I guess he was assuming that since Ace is also a soldier (although a young one), they would have a similar mindset.

I'm aware that I started capitalizing 'magic department' but yeah I'll fix it in the previous chapters eventually.

I apologize for the amount of footnotes in this chapter (lol it was a little difficult to translate some parts) and how long it took to get this one out. The next part should be out a little faster.


	5. Chapter 0: Part 5

**[5]**

And thus, the fated day arrived.

Seagull Calendar 842, 12th of the Month of Water[1]. On that day, Izana had been out on a mission to patrol the area around Akademeia with Karan since the previous night.

They were looking within a ten kilometer vicinity of Akademeia on chocobos to confirm whether what their Byakko intelligence operatives said about an invasion was true. There had been many suspicious changes within Byakko since the beginning of the year, but this past week had been quiet.

That should have felt ominous, but since he did not know about this state of affairs, Karan was at ease.

"Alright! Patrol finished. Let's return to Akademeia, shall we?"

"Yeah, that's right-" As he spoke, Izana closed his mouth.

Karan asked him, puzzled, "What's wrong, Izana?"

"No, it's noth– what's that?"

Izana pointed ahead of them. Something black was floating in the northwestern sky.

He thought it was a flock of migratory birds, but it wasn't. It was drawing closer to the direction of Akademeia rapidly. A sound like the hum of machinery resounded through the dawn sky.

He understood when he heard it. That was not a flock of migratory birds…

"It's Byakko's airships!"

At Izana's raised voice, Karan's eyes widened.

"It can't be! The battleships got this far!? What the heck is the border guard doing!?"

"They probably broke through the frontlines…! The garrison would be helpless against such a force."

They could see five battleships. In the middle of the fleet was the Invincible Class warship, which boasted the biggest hull and fighting power of the Byakko Air Force. Its overall length was 256 meters, with a max speed of 254 kilometers per hour.

Their fears had finally come to pass. Byakko had come to invade Suzaku!

"This is bad, let's return, Karan! We'll return to Akademeia to ask for our next orders!"

"Y-yes!"

Izana and Karan took up the chocobos' reins and hurried to Akademeia.

Although they had returned to Akademeia, about fifteen minutes had already passed. They crossed the long bridge and saw that Suzaku citizens had formed a crowd in front of the gates.

There was probably more than 500 people there. It wasn't possible to ride the chocobos through such a crowd of people. Izana and Karan dismounted from the chocobos and clapped their rumps.

"Chichiri, it's dangerous here! Run away, go around back!"

With a cry of "Keh!" the chocobos broke into a run, avoiding the crowd. A voice called out to Izana and Karan, who were seeing the chocobos off.

"Oh, so you're back, you two!"

Looking back, their bearded platoon leader was there. Izana and the forty comrades that made up their squad were also gathered.

"Izana Kunagiri reporting!"

"Karan Asajima, reporting! Sir, an explanation of the situation, please!"

At Karan's voice, platoon leader nodded and answered.

"Our intelligence is also complicated…but in any case, a few hours ago we received a declaration of war from Byakko. At the same time, their fleet amassed in the vicinity of the national border, and seem to have marched on every single town in the Suzaku region."

"So that means, it's really!?"

"Yes, war. An all-out-war with Byakko has begun." The platoon leader ground his teeth together. "The enemy fleet's objective is most likely to either possess or destroy our Suzaku Crystal. No matter what, we must prevent them from doing so."

As the platoon leader had said, if the Crystal was stolen, Izana and the others would lose their magic. If that happened they would lose their means to fight and would probably lose right away.

"There's an emergency gathering of all of the army personnel in Akademeia. We have but one objective, to push back that air fleet with all of our strength! Listen up everyone, this is the one battle we cannot afford to lose!"

"Yes, sir!"

At the same time that Izana and Karan answered, the platoon leader nodded vigorously.

"Good! Well then, soldiers, let's start this war! The rise and fall of our motherland rests on this one battle! Let's show those guys from Byakko the power of the Suzaku Crystal!"

"Yeah!"

The troops including Izana simultaneously let out a battle cry. Identical voices from the other squads also rose.

They turned their eyes to the northwestern sky. Byakko's air fleet would soon reach them. A great number of soldiers were lowered by parachute. The ranks of the army corps armed with guns and artillery joined together and advanced on Akademeia.

The 500 mages kept their eyes on the advancing Byakko army and each of them began to chant a magic spell. When they were all about finished, the platoon leader raised his solemn voice.

"…Commence attack! May the Crystal's divine protection be with you!"

At the same time as that voice, an innumerable amount of fireballs, blocks of ice, lightning, poison smoke, violent winds, and flashes of light were aimed and fired at the enemy army.

* * *

Thus, the curtain rose on the battle.

In the battle that would later be called the "Defensive Battle of Akademeia", at first it looked to be moving in favor of Suzaku. The attacks of the Byakko Army were severe, but Suzaku created gigantic walls of light using protective wall magic (Wall)[2] and defended themselves with gunfire and bombardment. Furthermore, summons from another dimension were called upon, commencing a large-scale counterattack.

The flying dragon Bahamut destroyed all with a ray of light. That breath attack, superior to the Invincible Class battleship's defensive power, shot down several ships. Even more Byakko Army soldiers were burned to the ground and it was believed that the enemy's surprise attack was checked at the coastline.

–However, it was about three hours since the start of the war. It was now 10:06.

An unusual event befell Izana and the Suzaku Army.

"Fire!"

Izana pointed his fist at the enemy soldier as he shouted. However, the fireball was not fired. Did he use up all his magic? I should use an ether [5], he thought. Then, his thoughts stopping there, Karan's voice rose from beside him.

"I-Izana…This is weird. I can't use any magic!"

"Eh!?"

At Karan's surprise, Izana looked at him. He had an expression of bewilderment.

"Have you exhausted your magic?"

"No, I haven't! I just took an ether! And I still can't use any magic!"

"What…!?"

What does that mean? Is the medicine not working? Just then, one by one similar voices rise up from the surrounding area.

"What the hell, I can't use any magic!"

"What, you too!?"

"We've run out of magic all at once!?"

The commotion was growing bitter. Without understanding a thing, they looked around at each other's faces.

"W-what's happening…!?" Izana muttered.

Karan shouted in grief, "This can't be…has the enemy destroyed the Suzaku Crystal!?"

Everyone's bodies shook at those words. But the platoon leader immediately shot them down.

"Calm down! The enemy army may be holding us back here, but there is no possible way that the Crystal has been destroyed!"

It was certainly as the platoon leader said. And furthermore, the Suzaku Crystal was enshrined within Akademeia's innermost depths. Only the government's top officials knew the path leading to it.

It wasn't as if the enemy could make it to the Crystal's location so easily.

"But then leader, why can't we use magic!?" Izana asked.

The platoon leader's expression was bitter.

"I do not know! I do not know, but clearly… clearly we have lost our means to fight."

The platoon leader turned his eyes towards the enemy.

The enemy soldiers and armadas' bombardment rained down upon the wall magic that had been deployed before they lost their magic. The wall of light seemed to be on the verge of breaking.

"Oh no, it won't last much longer…! Everyone, let's evacuate!"

The platoon leader's order came too late.

An instant later, broke into pieces and scattered, and shells came flying at Izana and the others.

There was no time to escape. There was a burst of light and explosive flames, and Izana and the others were blown away.

* * *

How long had he been passed out for after that? At last, Izana opened his eyes.

The first thing displayed in his field of vision was a group of corpses. And the gates of Akademeia, which had been destroyed by cannon fire.

"Argh…!"

Izana stood, enduring a body full of pain. Beside him was a bearded man and a man in his mid twenties.

 _Those two were most likely my comrades. But I can't remember either of their names._

The Death Memory Lapse – It had been awhile since Izana experienced it.

That was why he wasn't sad. It was an empty feeling, as if he was missing a portion of his memories. Holding that in his mind, his injured body was revitalized, and Izana began to walk towards Akademeia.

Passing through the gates and exiting the front gardens, a hollow sigh left his mouth.

"Ah…"

Byakko's airships were anchored in the skies above Akademeia. He could see soldiers descending from there by parachutes. It seemed as if Izana wasn't the only one unable to use magic. Suzaku, which had lost its defensive power, was being overrun by Byakko.

He still didn't know the reason why they had lost their magic. At any rate, Izana headed to Central Command to gather more information.

Avoiding the enemy soldiers strutting about the front gardens, he entered Akademeia from the rear entrance. Passing through the entrance, he opened the doors to Central Command's control room.

There was unprecedented chaos inside. The army's top brass was all wildly shouting with expressions of grief.

"I already know we can't use magic! Aren't there any units that can fight without magic!?"

"Stop relying on the cadets! Gather up the soldiers and officers and assign them to Akademeia's defenses!"

"But if we do that, the difference in military force will be overwhelming! We have to regain control of the Crystal's power…!"

Listening to the exchange, Izana's expression distorted. In this kind of situation, there was no way he could ask for directions. No one in that place knew what should be done.

 _So what should I do?_ Izana thought as a woman who had been inside the control room came walking towards him.

"You, you're Izana Kunagiri?"

"Eh!? Who–" He stopped in the middle of his sentence, instantly realizing who it was. He remembered seeing that woman's face before.

Wearing glasses and large priest's robes, a beautiful woman of unknown age. It was the Magic Department's Director, Aresia al-Rashia. She was not a direct acquaintance, but he had seen her countless times at ceremonies. Izana brought the heels of his shoes together and answered.

"Yes, ma'am! I am Izana Kunagiri of the 9th platoon! But why do you know my name?"

"I heard of you from Ace. You're right on time."

Under such a tense situation, Areshia spoke languidly, but Izana had a lot of questions.

"And, what you are saying is…?"

"You are the liaison in charge of Class Zero. I have a mission to give you now."

Izana's heartbeat jumped heavily in his chest at those words. It seemed as though it was time to fulfill the promise he made with Ace.

"Please tell me what I can do."

"Well then, it's noisy in here. I'll explain the situation to you outside."

Areshia led Izana outside the control room. Leaning against the wall in the corridor, she began to explain.

"First, about the reason everyone has lost their magic…that is due to the power of Byakko's new weapon, the 'Crystal Jammer'."

"Crystal Jammer?"

"A type of magic powered machine has deployed a field that is incapacitating the Suzaku Crystal. As the external bureau has come to understand it, Byakko has seemingly developed that sort of weapon."

"Then why didn't we know about this?"

"Because the Crystal Jammer requires a vast amount of energy to activate, it was impossible for the Byakko Crystal to supply that energy to activate it. We thought that just by being vigilant we could stop it, but…any any rate, without our awareness Byakko successfully implemented it."

"So you're saying that it's been activated somewhere?!"

Areshia nodded at his question.

"The enemy's spy unit slipped past the defense line, carried the Crystal Jammer onto Akademeia's premise, and activated it. At the moment the Jammer has been installed in the Arena, and is stealing the Suzaku Crystal's magic from there."

"So if we destroy it, we'll be able to use magic again!?"

"Yes. However, destroying the jammer is not a feat that any normal human can easily accomplish. Enemy soldiers have been gathered around the jammer, and amassed a line of defense."

Areshia spoke as if she had seen it herself. Most likely, through some magical means, just before the Crystal Jammer had been activated, she had been looking into the enemy army's movements.

"Then what should we do!? Without being able to use magic, to breach the enemy's defenses–"

"There is only one unit that can accomplish that," Areshia said with a small smile, "Class Zero. Only those children can freely use magic while in range of the Jammer's influence."

"What - why!?"

"I do not have the time to explain. Ace and the others are special, that is all."

* * *

He wanted to find out if it was true or not, but there really was no time. This was their only hope. He had no choice but to believe.

As Izana thought that, Areshia gazed at him and said:

"In any case, Izana Kunagiri, I have a mission to give you. At the moment the twelve members of Class Zero, including Ace, are rushing towards Akademeia by airship from the external bureau. As soon as those children arrive, please give this to them," she said, taking something out of her breast pocket. It was a white sphere about 2 centimeters in diameter.

"What is that?"

"A new model communications instrument developed by the external bureau, the COMM. It is a magic tool that allows one to call faraway allies without drawing upon the Suzaku Crystal's power. If that makes it over to Ace and the others' hands, they will be able to receive precise instructions. If we can do that, we may be able to reverse this unfavorable position…" Areshia said, handing the COMM to Izana. The hand that accepted it trembled. Such a small sphere could shape Suzaku's **fate**.

While that weight, Izana asked a question.

"…Where should I go to get in touch with Ace?"

"On the other side of Akademeia, the southern end of the soldiers' quarters in the residential district. A rendezvous point has been prepared ahead of time. Those children were told to report there in case of an emergency."

"In that case, please leave it to me…I will definitely, without fail, hand this over to him," Izana said as he put the COMM into his pocket and broke off into a run.

In order to reunite with Ace, and to fulfill his own duty —

* * *

[1] The Month of Water is February. February in Japanese is 水月, but it's written 水の月 here, so I translated it as Month of Water.

[2] As usual, protective wall magic was written in the paragraph with the spell "Wall" in parentheses.

[3] Ether was captioned as restorative medicine.

Sorry for the long, long wait! I was sitting on this chapter for months because I was unsatisfied with how edits were going on it, but finally decided to just publish it. I will most likely go back to all these parts and make comprehensive edits at a later date. For now, it's readable at least.

On the bright side, we are finally almost at the end of Chapter 0.

Thank you to everyone who has been following or reviewed these translations!


	6. Chapter 0: Part 6 (final)

[6]

From there, Izana's solitary struggle began.

On a battlefield where he could not use magic, fought resolutely, cutting a path through the Byakko army.

His only weapon was his longsword. Swinging it, defeating enemies armed with guns, he continued to advance towards the southern tip of the residential quarters. His intensive hand-to-hand combat training with Ace came in handy.

However, the injuries he obtained along the way were also deep. The bleeding from the bullets that gouged out his side and when he went flying from the shockwave would not stop.

Walking despite such circumstances, he finally began to lose consciousness.

"Am…I not…there yet….?" he asked, though no one responded. The end of the street was far away. As his vision was spinning and turning blurry, around the corner were people who had collapsed. They were Suzaku soldiers.

"E…everyone, are you okay?" he shouted as he ran towards them. The three soldiers there were all covered in deep wounds. If the enemy found them, at this rate, they would probably be killed on the spot. In order to save them, too, he had to meet up with Ace quickly.

"….You guys, I need to ask you something…have you seen a young soldier with a red mantle?"

Izana asked. The soldiers shook their heads. As Izana gave up and began walking, all of a sudden there was an explosion.

"Suzaku soldiers! Kill them!"

He could see two Byakko soldiers running towards them. Each was carrying a rifle at the ready. Izana stood, but there was no strength in his legs. With all the damage his body had taken, he was reaching his limit.

It's hopeless! Just as Izana thought, preparing himself for the worse-

Something came rushing over fiercely from the other end of the street and sent the Byakko soldiers flying.

"!?"

No one knew what had happened in that instant. Rubbing his eyes, he recognized the identity of the one who had saved him. It was a war chocobo.

"Chichiri!" Hearing its name called, Izana's beloved bird cried out in return. This chocobo had come running when its owner was in a pinch.

"Ugh…that damn bird…!" The Byakko soldier who had been sent flying got up. But Izana was faster, drawing his sword and running up to the enemy.

"Uwaaaa!"

His sword thrust through the enemy's chest. He attacked the soldier next to them the same way.

It was no longer about swordsmanship or anything. It was about savage, genuinely primeval killing.

Izana cleared away the blood and stood, unsteady on his feet. Although he had already lost the strength to walk-

"Not yet…!"

Izana straddled Chichiri's back and took up the reins. Chichiri cried out and dashed off across the battlefield.

* * *

Clinging to Chichiri's swaying back, Izana aimed for the rendezvous point. What went through his head wasn't about what had happened up until now. It was all scenes of the past.

Eight years ago, Izana's hometown was destroyed. Caught up in the Byakko Army's military movements, many innocent villagers had been massacred.

Izana's parents had also gotten caught up. The only survivors were Izana, his younger brother Machina, and his younger brother's childhood friend, Rem. That day, they lost everything. Relatives, neighbors, and friends, and all memories concerning them.

But even if a feeling of emptiness and indifference filled Izana's chest, he did not have the time to be stricken with grief. If he did not grow stronger, who would protect Machina and Rem? With that in mind, he decided to act as Machina and Rem's foster parent, even though Izana himself was only 13-years-old.

From there, the three of them moved to a refugee camp where they spent a number of weeks. At first Machina and Rem were depressed, but Izana persevered with good cheer and little by little they showed him their smiling faces again.

After a while, they found Rem foster parents and the two brothers were left alone. To raise Machina, Izana gave it his all and worked. And when his fifteenth birthday was upon him, he took the cadet qualification exam and sat the test right on the spot. He failed, but entered the armed forces instead. All of it was for his younger brother's sake.

Though they were poor and they had plenty of hardships, he was never unhappy because Machina was there for him. Those who lived for someone else lived far more rewarding lives than those who lived only for themselves. Izana was convinced of that.

–Reminiscing up until that point, he felt a sudden shock.

Izana was falling to the ground. It seemed that he had suddenly fallen from Chichiri's back. Furthermore, without realizing it, he had lost consciousness.

Chichiri, who noticed that its master had fallen, looked surprised as it rushed back. The moment it licked his face to rouse him, all of a sudden a gunshot sounded out from somewhere.

"Keeeh!"

Chichiri let out a sorrowful cry. Its body jolted and shook violently, and fell on its side to the ground.

"Chi…Chichiri!"

Taken aback, he got up and looked at Chichiri. Blood flowed from the bullet wound that had pierced Chichiri's body. On reflex, he tried to cast healing magic, but of course he could not use magic at all. He could not heal Chichiri's wound.

At last, the sound of footsteps grew closer. Turning around, he saw five to six enemy soldiers approaching. This time was the end. Its master's demise approached with the sound of the military shoes.

At that moment, the words that left Izana's mouth-

It wasn't his younger brother's name, but the name of his comrade-in-arms who he met in the last moments of his life.

"Ace! Aceee!" Izana shouted himself hoarse. At the time he screamed, a red light blasted over his head.

"Huh!?"

It was a gigantic fireball. The scorching hot mass of flames neared the enemy soldiers and all at once consumed them down to nothing. It couldn't be, he thought-

"I'm here! I'm right here!"

Ace was standing at the end of the street.

Seeing that figure, the edges of Izana's lips curved into a smile. What Areshia had said was true. He could use magic without being affected by the Crystal Jammer.

"Izana!" Ace shouted, running up to him. Kneeling at Izana's side, he used healing magic. But while the wound closed, the blood that he had lost would not return. Strength would not return to his body. Izana had come to realize that his life was fading.

Next to Ace was a girl with a sword in hand and a boy wielding a spear. The girl looked at Izana's wounds and murmured to Ace, "It's too late."

"…I know," Ace answered her. Most likely, those two were the "siblings' Ace had once talked about. Mose likely, they were his comrades of equal strength.

Leaving the waging of war to children was wrong. Izana had always thought that. However, he had not been able to defend Suzaku himself. In that case, he had no choice.

(I have no choice but leave it up to those kids…!)

"Ace…this…!"

"What is it?"

"A communications device…that…bureau director Areshia said to…. give…. to you."

Ace nodded and took the device. With that, Izana's mission was over. He had no further desires.

Before long, Ace turned his back to Izana. Watching that back, Izana thought, Aah, he kept his promise, that it's unnecessary to look after me upon my death.

Izana was satisfied with his comrade's behavior. Then he whispered to the beloved bird at his side, "Th- thank you for coming…Chichiri."

Chichiri answered with a weak cry. Izana muttered, in a fading voice, "Let's rest for a bit…"

It looked like he could no longer move. Turning his face up from where he had fallen, Izana looked up. The smiles of his loved ones came to mind. His younger brother, and his younger brother's childhood friend. That he had not forgotten their faces meant that they were still alive. Relieved, Izana said to himself.

Machina, take care.

Rem, I wanted to see you one last time.

Chichiri, I'm glad you were with me to the end.

He was not sad, because was not alone. He still had his memories of this world. He was alright with all of it.

Thinking so, even though he was prepared–

At the time of confronting his death, something in Izana's heart unexpectedly changed.

He had noticed it. That his death meant that he would vanish from the world. At the moment of his death, the memories concerning Izana would disappear from Machina and Rem's mind. All traces that Izana had lived would disappear from this world.

"Ah…Aaah….!"

At the same time, a dreadful fear overtook him. It wasn't a fear of pain. It was a hopeless fear he hadn't noticed until he was on the verge of death.

"…No…" a trembling voice came out. "No…I don't want to die…!"

It was a pitiful voice. Was he really so weak? Even though he'd decided that when his time came to die, he'd face it bravely.

"I don't - I don't want to die…! I don't want to die, I don't want to die…!"

As Izana's voice rose, Ace, who was a distance away, turned to look over his shoulder.

"Izana…!"

Ace rushed over to Izana and grasped his hand. His expression was distorted by sorrow.

Seeing it, Izana realize. This guy wasn't the cold person he'd thought he was. He was kind, just like Izana's younger brother. Izana's chest filled with warmth. The feeling of his hand relieved Izana's fear of death.

(That's right…It's not as if I'll disappear entirely.)

Indeed, the memories involving him would vanish from this world. But the truth of what he accomplished would not be lost. That he'd raised his brother, and entrusted the COMM to Ace, all of it would remain as fact, connecting him to the future.

Izana believed that, and forced a smile.

"How silly of me, Ace…You'll just forget anyways," Izana said, grasping his hand. "You mustn't look back…face forward. Keep your eyes on the enemy on the horizon. Someday, bring down Byakko-" Izana mustered up the last of his strength to tell him.

"And save this country."

In response to Izana's voice, Ace returned his grasp.

Feeling that reassuring touch, Izana closed his eyes in peace.

* * *

Wow has it been a while. This version is unedited. I'll be doing a whole edit of Chapter 0 (which is done as of this part!) next. I just wanted to get this up.


	7. Chapter 1: Part 1

**Chapter 1:** Memories of Those Who Disappear

NOTE: This version is not edited to comply with the localization yet. Therefore, characters such as Areshia and the Byakko l'Cie have their transliterated names (in the latter's case, it's Kunmi). I'll fix it at some point.

[1]

Izana's hand, linked in his, was quickly growing cold. **  
**

Tears ran down Ace's cheeks.

"Izana…?" Ace asked, though he did not respond. Before long, all memories involving Izana were beginning to disappear from his mind. He was rapidly losing the memories he had of the first friend he made outside Class Zero. All memories of their meeting at the Chocobo Stables, their intensive training at the arena, and even his referral as their liaison.

However, there was one thing Ace could never forget. Even though forgetting the dead was the rule of this world, those words he left to Ace were the one thing Ace could not forget.

"You mustn't look back…face forward. And someday, bring down Byakko, and save this country."

Yes, that was what he had lived up until this day for. That was why he could no longer afford to look back. For that reason, he had to get stronger.

Ace released Izana's hand and stood. As he wiped away his tears, all memories of his friend completely disappeared from his mind.

"…Alright, let's get started." There was no trace of sentimentality in Ace's voice at all. He fit on his ear the communication device that the unknown Suzaku soldier had handed over to him. As soon as he did, he could hear Areshia's voice.

"Ace? Seems like the COMM made its way into your hands."

"Yeah, I've received it, Mother. Can you hear my voice from your end?"

"The signal is good. Because of that parabolic microphone, I can hear both your voice and the sounds in the surrounding area completely."

"Understood. Then, what are your instructions?" **  
**

"First, I'll explain the situation on the battlefield," Areshia prefaced her explanation. "The Suzaku Army is currently at a severe disadvantage. So, I want you three to destroy the cause of that disadvantage, the 'Crystal Jammer', as soon as possible."

"Where is it?"

"It's located about 1 kilometer north of your current position. In the Arena."

Ace knew that place. He remembered training over there with someone in the past. Pushing onward, Areshia continued.

"Of course, the Jammer is being defended by the enemy. And it's not just soldiers. According to the information we received just before, Byakko's 'l'Cie' is also guarding it."

"The l'Cie, too!?" Hearing that one word, Ace took a breath.

Each of the four major countries had two l'Cie, which were existences that transcended human beings. They acted according to the will of the Crystals, and were the Crystals' puppets, so to speak.

The Crystals could not converse with humanity, but were said to have some will of their own. As beings that acted out of their own will, they created puppets out of humans.

The ones chosen by the Crystals lost their will as people and in exchange, gained superhuman abilities. If the l'Cie, who had near immortal lifespans and bodies of unparalleled strength, were thrown into the middle of the battlefield, their country's fighting strength would increase immensely. That was why l'Cie were tasked with protection of the Crystals, disregarded the motives of the state, and did not actively collaborate with the people.

It was also unthinkable for them to recklessly engage in a war of aggression with other countries. And yet, somehow Byakko was sending one of its l'Cie onto the battlefield.

"…Mother, how did Byakko get the l'Cie to participate in the war effort?"

"I do not know exactly how, but for the time being, that is the truth. In addition, if the l'Cie is participating in this battle, it explains why the Crystal Jammer that was supposed to be incomplete was put into use."

"What do you mean?"

"One of Byakko's l'Cie, Kunmi, possesses the ability to rapidly improve the performance of magical machines. Most likely, as long as they have that ability, they can activate the Crystal Jammer."

"I see. In short, our mission is to defeat Kunmi and destroy the Jammer."

"Quite the formidable enemy for your first battle. Will you three be alright?"

"Of course. Just watch, Mother. We'll quickly restore the Suzaku Crystal's power," Ace told her, ending the connection. He turned to address the boy and girl next to him.

"You two heard that, right? It seems the enemy has sent the l'Cie to the frontlines." The girl nodded at his words.

"It is difficult to believe, but if Mother says it is true, it must be so," Queen, Class Zero's peacemaker, said calmly. With straight black hair, glasses, and a serious look about her, the image of a literary girl came to mind. But, contrary to her appearance, she had far greater skill with the longsword and lightning magic than anyone else in Class Zero.

"We may be in for a tough fight. Let's brace ourselves now," Queen said. Their other comrade snorted at her words.

"Hey, Queen, you scared or something? Our enemy can be a l'Cie, battleship, even a battalion of soldiers. We'll beat the shit out the. We're Class Zero after all, right?" Nine, the best at close combat, said in a rough voice. His ruffled golden hair and worn out uniform made him look like a delinquent. His personality was a little crude, but his fearless heart and exquisite skill with a spear were above all else reliable on the battlefield.

Ace said to his comrades, his equals in strength who wore the same vermillion mantles, "It's just as Nine says. If we don't defeat the l'Cie, Suzaku has no hopes of winning." **  
**

The other two nodded at his words and grasped their respective weapons. Queen had her longsword, Nine his spear, and Ace his cards.

"Let's go - to save Suzaku. This is Class Zero's maiden battle."

"Right!" "Yeah!"

Raising their voices, Ace and the others broke into a run.

They flew across the battlefield towards the Arena like a swift wind. On their way there, they spotted a group of enemies blocking the way. There were about 40 of them. It was a single platoon of foot soldiers armed with guns. They had taken up position behind a barrier built about one meter high.

One of the enemies quickly noticed and aimed a gun at them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing with just three–" Before the enemy could finish his sentence, Ace threw one of his cards at him. The card flew at the speed of a bullet and pierce the enemy in the forehead.

"Wha…"

Like a puppet with its strings cut, the enemy soldier fell to the ground where he stood. Shocked, the other enemies aimed their guns at Ace and the others.

"Thundara!"

However, Queen had finished her magic enchantment a split second faster than them.

A flash illuminated the pathway. A huge lightning bolt was released from her hand, overcoming the barrier and engulfing the enemies in an instant. Some of the Byakko soldiers convulsed violently from the shockwave, others were scorched black, others were knocked down. All of them were annihilated in one go.

The only soldiers who had survived the strike were the ones at the tail end of the group. The survivors looked at Ace and the others in disbelief.

"M-Magic…!? Why can they still use magic with the Jammer activated!?"

"Like I'd answer you!" Nine called out in response as he ran up to the barricade.

"Haaaaa!"

Nine swung his spear with a battle cry. The spear demolished the barricade in a single hit, also piercing the enemy soldier behind it.

"Hmph, that was a piece of cake." Nine pulled the spear from the enemy's chest, sounding bored.

"Don't let your guard down, Nine. Our real enemy is up ahead," Ace told him as they started running once again.

* * *

There was nothing that could stop them.

They had squared off against five platoons of foot soldiers on their way to the Arena, but Ace and the others struck them down without receiving a single wound in return and advanced with great vigor.

At last they reached the end of the road and saw a large building. Tall walls encircled it.

"It's the Arena!"

The l'Cie would be within those walls. However, it seemed that they were in the back of the building. The entrance was nowhere to be seen.

"Should we go around!?"

"Too much trouble, let's go over!" Nine called out. He aimed his spear at the wall and threw it. The spear reached about halfway up the six to seven meter tall wall before getting stuck in it. Ace and the others ran up to the wall, leapt, and using the spear as a stepping stool, were able to jump to the top.

The three of them landed atop the wall at the same time. Muttering, "Spear, come to me!", the spear that had gotten stuck in the wall disappeared, only to reappear in Nine's hand. Nine was bad at using magic, but even he could do this much.

"Now then, where's that l'Cie?" Nine said, looking down at the Arena. Ace also turned his eyes downward.

Doing so, he saw a very strange sight.

In the center of the huge arena 200 meters in diameter was fox-like thing made of iron. No, it was too big to be a fox. Its body looked to be over 5 meters in length. Its tails split into nine, which each emitted a green light.

"That can't be the Crystal Jammer, can it…?"

Somehow, he'd imagined it was a lot smaller. But he could find nothing else like, so he supposed that was it. And its form was most not just for show. With those feet, it was no doubt equipped with the ability to move on its own.

Then, where is the l'Cie controlling it? As he thought, he looked around – and spotted people in a corner of the arena.

"!?"

And confronting that l'Cie were two people. They both were wearing the uniform of a Suzaku Cadet. What surprised Ace was those two people.

"Did they really make it this far to destroy the Jammer…even now that they are unable to use magic?"

Neither of them were members of Class Zero. One was a boy clad in a navy blue mantle wielding drill-shaped rapiers in both hands. The other was a girl clad in a pink mantle wielding daggers in each hand. The two of them were probably about Ace's age.

Looking at them, Queen spoke up.

"They're admirable cadets, but at this rate, they are going to be killed."

Looking closely, their bodies were covered in wounds. Kunmi probably caused them. The girl was leaning against the wall of the arena, standing with difficulty. The boy was trying to protect her by standing in front, but it was clear that he was being driven into a corner.

"Should we go save them?"

"Yeah." "Of course!"

Ace and Nine answered Queen at the same time. The three of them then jumped off the wall. Landing at the same time, they broke into a fierce run. At the sound of their footsteps, Kunmi snapped around to face them.

Ace threw his cards, Queen swung her longsword, and Nine his lance, at the same time. However, Kunmi jumped clear over them and landed behind them.

Ace and the others turned around, protecting the two behind them. The boy shouted, "W-who are you!?"

"We'll explain later. Leave this to us and run away."

"But–"

"Just go! You'll only get in the way!" Ace said strongly. After a moment of hesitation, the boy took the girl with him and ran off.

Kunmi, who had been watching the exchange, said in bored voice, "And who're you guys? More reinforcements?"

The voice that could be heard from inside the helmet belonged to a young woman. She continued in a calm manner.

"I played around with those two because I had some time, but unexpectedly more came around. Well, it's not like you stand a chance of winning."

"You want to test that out?" Ace said, releasing fire magic as he spoke.

"!?"

Kunmi gasped at the fireball that came flying at her. She knocked the fireball away with a backhand blow, shouting in surprise, "Magic…!? How can you use magic when you're in range of my Jammer!?"

"Because we're special," Ace answered. Inwardly, he thought, that their magic wasn't brought about by the Suzaku Crystal. It was a difference source that supplied them.

Kunmi sank into silence, but quickly said in a voice filled with fury, "This is the worst…! I never heard of anyone like you existing. If I don't kill you right here and now, it'll be quite bad."

"Kill? If you think you can, come at at us!" As Nine readied his lance, Kunmi jumped away again.

That wasn't within a human being's jumping ability. She jumped upon the Jammer about 10 meters away and opened the hatch on top of the machine. Without giving Ace and the others time to stop, Kunmi disappeared within the hatch.

(She's riding in the Jammer!? That machine has combat abilities, too!?)

The moment after Ace thought that, the Jammer's large form began to move. They could hear Kunmi's voice from the speaker it was equipped with.

"Dealing with you personally is a pain, so I'll use guy this to kill you!"

At the same time that voice reverberated through the air, the Jammer's eyes fired off a laser.

The laser fired up at the sky, then changed its trajectory, and struck Ace and the others like a bolt of lightning.

"Gah!"

They tried to dodge, but they didn't make it in time. Intense pain and shock ran through them, and all three were sent flying.

"Kuh, ugh…!"

Groaning, they stood and cast curative magic. Thanks to magic, they had been protected, but still received considerable damage.

(As expected of a l'Cie…!)

But, they could not afford to lose here. Suzaku's fate was resting upon their shoulders.

As Ace and the others were thinking, fired an all-out attack upon them with its machine gun. However, before the bullets reached them, Queen cast Wall magic.

A wall of light appeared before their eyes, protecting them against the bullets. Immediately, a gun turret appeared from the Jammer's back and fired off missiles at them. Unable to endure the might of the attack, the wall began to crack.

"It will not last much longer! Hurry, attack!"

At Queen's shout, Ace nodded, drew his cards, and cast them away. The cards cut through the air, flying for the Jammer. However, a laser shot out from the Jammer's eyes and burned them down to nothing.

(Kuh! Cards aren't enough!) Ace thought. At his side, Nine was moving.

"Take this!"

He held his lance aloft and with all his strength, threw it. It pierced through the laser and drove deep into the Jammer's eye.

"What!?"

Kunmi's voice was steeped in astonishment. Without giving her a moment's pause, Ace threw all of his cards at her. The cards changed into innumerable points of light and destroyed the Jammer's machine gun and gun turrets in an instant. The steel fox's body shook, then stopped moving.

"Now! At Ace's call, the three dashed forward.

A weak laser shot out of the Jammer's eye, but they dodged it and closed in on the enemy.

"Eat this!" Nine withdrew his lance that was pierced through the Jammer and once again stabbed it with all his might.

The hole the lance bored in the Jammer's eye widened. Ace and Queen aimed the palms of their hands at it and shouted, "Firaga!" and "Thundaga!" as they fired off simultaneous magical attacks at their maximum output.

For a moment, silence befell them. In the next instant–

The Jammer exploded with a thunderous roar.

Ace and the others quickly jumped out of the way, avoiding the bomb blast. Nine shouted, "Alright!"

"No, wait, let's confirm that l'Cie is dead!" Ace said, running up to the ruins of the still burning Jammer. But at that moment, something flew out of the wreckage.

"!"

It was Kunmi. It seemed that she had not died in that explosion. However, her uniform had been hideously burned and she was covered in wounds.

Probably perceiving her own defeat, Kunmi jumped over the wall of the Arena and disappeared into the distance.

"Crap, it got away! Let's go, you two!" Nine shouted. Ace and Queen shook their heads.

"No, it's dangerous to pursue the enemy too relentlessly. Our mission was to destroy the Jammer. We shouldn't act without orders."

"That's right, our first priority is the defense and liberation of Akademia. There are many more enemies aside from that l'Cie."

The two of them answered at the same time. Nine clicked his tongue.

"You two are no fun…Well, next time we meet that l'Cie, I'll cut kill 'em dead. That good, you two?"

Ace and Queen nodded, smiling wryly, and left the Arena.

Outside the Arena, there were still more enemies. However, since a while ago, the situation was changing. The Suzaku soldiers were firing back. It seemed that with the influence of the Jammer gone, they had realized their magic returned.

"Alright, we, too will–" Just as he spoke, he saw a group of people wearing the same red mantles walking up to them from across the street.

There were nine boys and girls holding various weapons. They were Ace's comrades, who he had been raised with for the last ten years.

"You guys came, too?" Ace called out. Everyone answered in unison.

"Yep, we finished our missions, so we came over here to see. Group B, Jack, Seven, and Cater - suppression of Academia's west district was a success~*"

"Yes. Group C, Trey, Sice, and Eight. We also completed subjugation of the north district.**"

"Group D, King, Deuce, and Cinque, east district suppression complete.***"

"Hey, what the heck, then that means there's not much let to do, huuuh?"

Everyone laughed at Nine's bored look. At that moment, a voice called out from behind them.

"Just…just who are you guys?"

Turning around, they saw the cadets they had saved earlier standing there. At the boy's side was the girl, who called out in a bewildered voice, "Those red mantles…it can't be, are you…!?"

Ace quietly nodded and answered. "That's right, we are Class Zero – we came to save this country."

* * *

*, **, *** The ones speaking are Jack, Trey, and King, the first ones listed in each group. Jack sounds playful, Trey uses keigo like Queen, and King is just normal casual for now.


	8. Chapter 1: Part 2

[2]

– It was as Ace said. Since Class Zero's arrival, the tides of the defensive battle for Akademia had changed drastically.

Because the Crystal Jammer had been destroyed, the Suzaku Army's magic was restored. All of the surviving soldiers on every battlefield simultaneously began to attack with magic.

In the airspace above Akademia, the tides also turned as Byakko's airships carrying out the bombings were shot down by Class Zero's land-to-air magic attacks. Furthermore, they had started to search out and exterminate the Byakko soldiers within Akademia.

Thus, it was 12:58, about 6 hours since the outbreak of the war. Already, Suzaku had forced the entire Byakko Army to retreat and had succeeded in liberating Akademia.

And now, at 15:17 on the same day. 1200 kilometers northwest of Akademia, in the capital city of the Militesi Empire in the Byakko region. In the marshal office of the governor-general…

The Byakko l'Cie who had returned from the battlefield, Qun'mi Tru'e, was confronting her commander.

"Qun'mi, it seems you were beaten by some lowly cadets," the older man said, gazing at Qun'mi. "For a l'Cie, that is beyond disappointing."

His voice was quiet, but contained bottomless intensity. Qun'mi grinded her teeth together and answered the man.

"…If I may, Marshal. Those cadets were not normal human beings."

The 'marshal' frowned.

"Oh? And by 'not normal human beings', you mean?"

"First, they could use magic within range of the Jammer. And they had both superhuman bodies and magic. It is most likely due to a special treatment applied to the human body via a magic technique."

"A magic technique unknown to us, huh? And with it, they obtained the strength to rival a l'Cie?"

"That's right. In other words, a type of human weapon Suzaku prepared in anticipation of our declaration of war. Though 'devils' suits them better, I think."

"Hm…"

The marshal nodded, falling silent. The man waiting in the corner of the room spoke up.

"I ask you this, l'Cie Qun'mi. What were their distinguishing features?"

The man who asked had an eyepatch over one eye. But, the light of the remaining eye looked as sharp as a blade. His hair, white-gold in color, was cut short. He also donned the white uniform decorated with gold thread that only higher ranking officers were permitted to wear. His attire and looks were both sagacious, but on the other hand, he was a man who exuded killing intent.

Qun'mi shifted under his gaze and answered.

"Commodore Qator, they had two distinct features. First, because they were cadets, they were exceedingly young. The other is that all of them wore vermillion colored mantles."

"Devils wearing vermillion mantles…"

"Yes. I believe that those devils will influence the course of this war. The entire army should be vigilant–"

Qun'mi only got that far before the marshal said, "That certainly seems to be the case."

"In reality, our plans went awry from the start of the war. The takeover of the Suzaku Crystal failed. The Crystal Jammer's existence was also revealed to the other countries."

"…Yes."

"Most likely, next time both Genbu and Soryu will increase their vigilance against us. There is also the possibility that Suzaku will be apt to form an alliance with those three countries and advance upon our country…This blunder is quite the big one, isn't it, l'Cie Qun'mi?"

"…I understand that."

Without saying it, Qun'mi well understood the gravity of the failure to capture the Suzaku Crystal. If Byakko had only obtained the Suzaku Crystal, even if Soryu and Genbu were to join the war, it would have been more than enough to oppose them. That was the reason they had launched a surprise attack on Suzaku.

But that did not come to pass. If Suzaku, Genbu, and Soryu were to form a threeway alliance, it would be difficult to oppose them no matter how many Crystal Jammers they had. That was why Qun'mi had already made up here mind. The moment the capture of the Suzaku Crystal failed, she had taken responsibility.

She brought the heels of her boots together and informed the marshal.

"From here on out, I, Senior Captain Qun'mi Tru'e, will switch to the next plan. I will commence the 'Northern Dawn Operation'. Once I advance upon Genbu, it can be finished within five hours."

"Very well."

A sorrowful look came over the marshal's face for an instant. Seeing that, Qun'mi's chest throbbed with pain.

This would probably be the last time she confronted the man she thought of as a father. Without giving time to regret this final farewell, she turned on her heel.

"This is goodbye, marshal*…May we bring glory to the Militesi Empire," she told the marshal standing in the background before leaving the office.

Walking down a long hallway, she thought.

(This is fine…With this, I can finally repay my debt to him.)

Qun'mi, who had lost both her parents in a border dispute, entered the army and became a weapons researcher to exact revenge on Suzaku. At last, with talent and persistence, she gained the marshal's notice and was appointed to a post under him. And she had received both the research facility, a large number of subordinates, and abundant funds.

As long as there is someone to acknowledge one from the bottom of their hearts, people will endeavor to far exceed their limits. Qun'mi devoted herself to research day and night, and contributed to the advancement of the Byakko Army's weaponry immensely.

Although still not completed, it was the Crystal Jammer. As long as they could perfect it, they could win against Suzaku. In accordance with Qun'mi's desire for that to come to pass, one day the Crystal called out to her.

"Become a l'Cie of Byakko, and guide them to victory."

And so, it had been two months since she became a l'Cie. She had not managed to lose her human heart yet. Before she completely became the Crystal's puppet, she had wanted to repay her debt to the marshal.

Her thoughts reached that point before she noticed the figure standing at the other end of the hallway.

It was a young woman wearing a white coat and glasses, one of the subordinates that the marshal had given her, Captain Innes.

"What do you want, Innes?"

Right after she asked, Innes said in a brooding manner, "Lady Qun'mi…you're going to attack Genbu!?"

Qun'mi was a little surprised by her words. All matters of dealing with the situation after the invasion on Suzaku failed were only supposed to be known to the higher-ups.

"As usual, you remember everything single thing I say. Well, it's true."

"That can't be! It's everyone's fault that the operation failed, you can't take responsibility for all of it!"

"That's what I decided. Besides, someone had to do it."

"But…!"

Looking at her subordinate who had tears flowing from her eyes, Qun'mi thought. She sure is childish despite being twenty-two. Even though she only differs from me by two*.

"Don't cry, Innes. You're a soldier, aren't you? After all this is over, you will forget all about me."

"I will not."

Qun'mi grumbled at her with a sarcastic laugh. "…This is the worst. I can't get alone with gloomy people."

But, since it was Innes, she could probably succeed her. She was childish and wildly inconsistent with her moods, but she was equal to Qun'mi in terms of talent as a scientist.

And then she left her behind.

For a long time after, Innes's quiet sobbing could be heard down the hall.

* * *

* She uses 'your excellency' in addition to 'marshal' here but I'm not good with military titles and don't feel like figuring out what to word this as at the moment. Basically, she's being ultra-ultra formal…including the stock phrase 'Glory to the Militesi Empire'.

Don't get used to the quick updates. xD I just happened to have time, and this part was short.


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